The greatest computer ever made is less than seven inches long and weighs less than three pounds, note the authors of this entertaining tour of the brain. Produced by the writers and editors of Time magazine and illustrated throughout with color photos, drawings, and diagrams, the book explores what science now knows about how we learn, how we mature, and why our minds grow old, and considers such questions as: How does memory work, and why does it so often fail? How can children learn multiple languages, while adults struggle to master a single new one? How different are men's and women's brains, really? What does it mean to be a genius—indeed, what does it mean merely to be conscious?